Cold weather clothing



March 28, 1961 N. H. BROWN, JR

COLD WEATHER CLOTHING Filed Dec. 8, 1953 United States Patent O COLDWEATHER CLOTHING Neubeme H. Brown, Jr., South Bend, Ind., assgnor toUnited States Rubber Company, New York, NX., a corporation of New JerseyFiled Dec. 8, 1953, Ser. No. 396,816

10 Claims. (Cl. 2 2) This invention relates to a novel form of coldweather clothing.

Heretofore clothing designed to withstand cold weather has beenfashioned of a variety of materials and in a variety of structures. Thuscold weather garments have been fashioned of cloth, hide, furs, fur andeece lined fabrics, etc., in an effort to provide a heat insulatingenvelope about a Wearers body.

It has been proposed heretofore to make garments of this type from anexpanded closed cell cellular material such as cellular rubber and thelike because this material provides an excellent heat insulating bodyfor the garment. Garments constructed of these closed cell cellularmaterials make excellent cold Weather clothing because the material islight, it is soft and flexible, and the material forms an excellentthermal insulating layer about the wearers body. These materials are airand moisture vapor impervious, so that the wind may not penetrate themto coo-l the wearers body unduly, and so that liquids inside the garmentwhich are converted into moisture vapor by the heat from the wearersbody cannot escape from the garment to cool the wearer unduly. In fact,garments constructed of these materials provide such excellent thermallyinsulating garments that they are frequently uncomfortable at moderatelycold climates such as 0 F. when the wearer is active.

It is well known that bodily exertion will generate heat and that thebody will perspire, so that the evaporation of this perspiration fromthe body surface may cool the body. When garments heretofore constructedof these closed cell cellular materials were worn during strenuousactivity, the atmosphere within these garments soon became saturatedwith moisture vapor so that evaporation of perspiration would beretarded, and since escape of this atmosphere from the garment wasretarded by the impervious nature of the material from Which'the garmentwas made, 4the wearer soon found himself enclosed in a hot, humid andsometimes uncomfortable atmosphere.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cold weather garmentwhich will have good thermally insulating properties so that its wearerwill be kept warm at low temperatures and particularly when the weareris inactive at these low temperatures, yet which garment is soconstructed that when its wearer is active the garment may be worn incomfort.

ln cold weather clothing in accordance with this invention at least twosheets of heat insulating material, such as expanded closed cellcellular material, are used. Each of these sheets are provided with amultiplicity of openings therethrough. These sheets areV assembled injuxtaposition and a garment formed therefrom with the sheets arrangedsuch that the openings through the inceeds through openings in aiirstlayer, thenlatera-lly of the layers between them and finally throughopenings in the second layer.

A garment constructed in this manner provides a high comfort factor to awearer both when he is active and when he is inactive. When the weareris inactive, the several layers lie adjacent each other with the holesin substantially non-registering relation, so that together they providea thermally insulating layer about the wearers body within which istrapped an atmosphere that is substantially inhibited from escape fromthe garment by the layers of material. It is possible for some air, windand moisture vapor to penetrate this garment through the holes, but thearrangement of these holes is such that this penetration issubstantially inhibited. However, when a wearer of the garment isactive, his movements cause the two layers to separate and to draw airin through the holes to the space between the layers of material. Uponfurther movement these layers will be forced together to expel this -airfrom this space either into or out of the garment. In this manner, thegarment functions in a manner somewhat akin to that of a bellows to drawair and vapor into and expel it from the garment continuously duringmovement by its wearer to ventilate the wearers body and thus to coolhim. It is of course essential that the layers be sufficiently free ofeach other to permit this bellows-like action. The bellows-like functionof the garment is not regular but occurs somewhat randomly at variousparts of the garment, but since a large surface area of the garment isprovided with these holes therethrough, such random function is suicientto ventilate` the garment when its wearer is active. It will' thus beseen that a garment constructed in accordance with this inventionfunctions to provide high insulating values when its wearer is colder,i.e., inactive, and to ventilate his body when he is warmer, i.e.,active, to provide maximum comfort to its wearer.

Thethicknesses of the layers and the number of layers used may be variedas dictated by such factors as thermal insulation, weight, drape,flexibility, etc., desired or needed in the garment. So also thequantity and size of the holes may be varied within limits as will occurto those skilled in the art. However it must be borne in mind that theholes should ynot be too large else they may provide too muchventilation, and too much surface area of each layer cannot beperforated else much of the insulating properties of the garment will belost. Preferably however, the openings occupy from 10 to 50% of thesurface of the layers. So also manufacturing problems may dictate tosome extent the size and spacing of Y sheets and then to place themtogether randomly Awith little or no care being taken to assure that theholes in each of the sheets do not substantially coincide. When thegarments are manufactured in this manner, if the holes are not toonumerous they may be thus assembled with a relatively minor andinsignificant proportion of the holes coinciding in the two layers.

Bearing in mind these considerations, I have found that a satisfactorygarment for climates of 0 F., or there-V abouts, can be fashioned of two1/5 thick layers ofexpanded closed cell cellular material. These layerswere each perforated with l/s diameter. holes which were evenly spacedabout the surface of each layer to occupy 30% of its surface area. Theholes preferably are uniformly spaced about the surface of the layers,but it will be appreciated that they need not necessarily be so spaced.

Preferably the entire surface area of the layers in the garment isprovided with these holes, but it will be appre- Although in such agarment there is no very rigid control over the manner in which air isintroduced to or exhausted from the garment from the bellows action,this is relatively immaterial, for if air is exhausted through theopenings from the garment other air will be introduced through otheropenings in the garment to ventilate it'.

Expanded closed cell cellular rubbers and rubber-like materials aresuitable for the perforated layers forming the garment of thisinvention. Such materials are well known in the rubber industry.However, it is preferred to form the layers of a closed cell cellularrubber-like material comprising plasticized polyvinyl chloride such asthat made in accordance with the U.S. Patent No. 2,570,182, for itprovides an excellent thermal insulator, it can be made in densities aslow as 4 to 5 pounds per cubic foot, it does not absorb and retainmoisture, and is soft and exible, hence is excellently well suited forgarments of this type. An incidental advantage of this material forgarments is that the closed cell cellular material will oat in waterbecause of the myriad gas entrapping cells therein, and this material issufficiently buoyant so that a garment formed thereof will maintain itswearer afloat when he is immersed in water, so that the garment alsoprovides a life saving jacket.

Although it is preferred to make the garment of just two layers ofmaterial, it will be evident that the number of layers may be increasedif desired in certain applications. `In addition to the two layers ofheat insulating material, it is .preferred to construct the garment witha layer of fabric or the like sandwiched between these layers. Thislayer of fabric will permit the passage of air and moisture vaportherethrough, and it will serve the important function of separating thelayers of heat insulating material so that these two layers will nottend to stick together where they are adjacent each other, as mayotherwise occur when such fabric is not interposed. Such sticking mayoccur either through the inherent nature of the materials, or it may becaused by moisture or other foreign substances which are admittedbetween the layers to cause them to tend to adhere to each other. It isfurther preferred to construct the garment with a layer anverso offabric or the like about the outside of these insulating i layers. Thisouter fabric layer similarly will permit the passage of air and moisturevapor, but it will serve as a protective coating for the cellularmaterial and will therefore protect this relatively soft cellularmaterial from tearing, snagging andthe like. Furthermore, this outerfabric layer will tend to reduce the velocity of wind which impingesupon the garment by scattering, in effect, the air which strikes thiscloth so that the wind may not blow through the openings and into thegarment. The layers of heat insulating material, because of thestaggered relation of the openings in each layer, also serve to scatterthe air as does the intermediate layer of fabric or the like, so thatair at high velocity cannot penetrate the garment. Y

For a better understanding of the nature of this invention, referenceshould be had to the following detailed description of one specificembodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational view partly broken away of a jacket embodyingthis invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view partly broken away of the materials formingthe garment of this invention showing the disposition of the layers ofperforated material and the fabrics therein, and

Fig. 4 is a view substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. l showing aseam which may be used to join the parts of the garment.,

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a gar-y ment 10constructed to cover the upper part of the torso andthe arms. Although ajacket is shownfthe invention may beembodied in coats, trousers,underwear, etc.

This garment 10 may be worn either in the form of an outer jacket, or itmay be worn as underwear as desired. As shown, this jacket is formed ofheat insulating material 11 and is provided with a zipper 12 arranged inthe customary manner to close the garment. Preferably a collar 13 isprovided for the garment which may be arranged to embrace the neck ofthe wearer snugly. So also the sleeves 14 may be provided with a wristclosure which is adapted to embrace the wrist of the wearer snugly sothat the garment when closed may be arranged to prevent substantiallyescape of the atmosphere trapped within the garment. The garment isconstructed such that it embraces the wearers body loosely to provide aheat insulating atmosphere between the garment and the wearers body thatmay be trapped thereih by closing the garment snugly about the wearersbody. A drawstring or belt may be provided about the waist of thegarment so that the waist may be drawn snugly about the wearers waist ifdesired.

Referring next to Figs. 2 and 3 there is shown in detail the heatinsulating material 11 used to construct a garment in accordance withthis invention. As there shown, this material comprises a sheet 16 ofexpanded closed cell cellular material which has a multiplicity ofopenings 17 extending therethrough. Preferably, the material 16 is anexpanded closed cell cellular material comprising plasticized polyvinylchloride made in accordance with the method of the above identifiedpatent. As pointed out heretofore, these holes 17 in one embodiment havea diameter of approximately 1A inch, and are uniformly spaced about thesurface of the sheet 16 so that they occupy approximately 30% of thesurface area of the sheet 16. ln juxtaposition with the sheet 16 is asecond sheet of this material 18 having similar holes 19 therethroughwhich are similarly spaced over the surface of the sheet 18.` As shown,the sheets 16 and 18 are arranged so that the holes 17 and 19therethrough are in substantially non-registering relation. Asheretofore pointed out the sheets 16 and 17 may for most applications beplaced together randomly in constructing the garment, andmost of theholes 17, 19 will not be in registering relation.

A fabric 20 is disposed between the sheets 16 and 18 to prevent thesheets from sticking together as heretofore described. A second fabric21 is provided for the outside of the garment to provide a protectivelayer for the outer layer 16 of expanded closed cell cellular material.Any suitable materials may be substituted for the fabrics 20, 21although it is thought that fabrics will generally be preferred forthese materials. Thus, for example the fabric 20 may be replaced by anair and moisture vapor permeable sheeting such as polyvinyl alcohol, orby a perforated film, etc., if desired. If desired, the garment may befinished by providing an inner lining 22 as shown in Fig. l therefor.

When a garment is thus constructed, there will be provided a heatinsulating vapor barrier about the wearers body which vwillsubstantially maintain an atmosphere trapped within the garment andadjacent the wearers body. This atmosphere will soon be warmed by heatgiven up from the wearers body and since the atmosphere can besubstantially retained within the garment, the wearer will remain warmwith little further loss of body heat. However, when the wearer isactive and further heat is given olf by his body, air or moisture vaporwill be drawn through the holes 17 and 19 as 'the layers V16 and 18 areseparated by the flexing of the garment in much the vsame manner thatair is drawn into a bellows. When the garment is next exedto force thesheetsl' and v18 together las will occur during normal bodyl movement,the air trapped between them will be exhausted through either the holes17 or 19 to ventilate the'space within the garment and thus to carry offexcess heat which maybe trapped therein to thereby coolVthe'.wet'trerrliln this manner, means are provided for trentlatingl thegarment by the natural movements of its wearer, yet the garment stillprovides a thermally insulating jacketabout the wearers body.. In orderto provide this action, it` is. only necessary forthe layers I6 and 18to` be substantially .free of each other throughout most of theirsurface. This may be provided by forming the layers 16- and 18 inrelatively large sheets which are joined together at the usual bindingsof the garment such as its edges, a side seam, etc.

Referring next to Figs. l and 4, there is shown a seam which isespecially adapted for joining adjacent sheets of the heat insulatingmaterial such as adjacent sheets 16 of the expanded closed cell cellularmaterial. This material 16 generally will not withstand strains exertedthereon very well, and accordingly means are provided to relieve thesematerials of strains. The material is such that sheets thereof may notbe stitched together to provide ya strong seam, and it is difficult tocement adjacent slabs of this material together. Accordingly, the seamshown in Fig. 4 is preferably used. In this seam the fabric such as theouter fabric 21 used -in the garment is folded down over the edge yofthe material so that an edge 25 of the fabric 21 extends on the otherside of sheet 16 adjacent its edge for a short distance. The fabric 21used with the other sheet 16 is similarly disposed over the edge of thesheet. These folded over portions of the rtwo fabrics 21 are then joinedby stitching a seam 23 through them. Thereafter, a further seam 24 isstitched through each outer fabric 21, the sheet 16, and the folded overedge 25 of the fabric 21 to join this edge 25 and the outer fabric 21through the expanded closed cell cellular material 16. In this manner,the two sheets of material 16 are held together-by the stitches 23 andby the stitches 24. The sheets 16 are held in place adjacent the fabricZ1 by the stitches 24, which are anchored on both sides of each sheet 16in the fabric 21, and any tensional strain exerted on the garment willbe absorbed by the fabric 21 and thestitching 23. By folding over theedge 25, means are provided on both sides of the sheet 16 which willtake and hold a stitch. Similarly, the sheets 18 may be stitched to thefabric 20.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

l. Cold weather clothing, comprising a plurality of layers of expandedclosed cell cellular plasticized polyvinyl chloride, each of said layershaving a plurality of uniformly spaced openings therethrough, saidlayers having their surfaces adjacent each other and disposed with theopenings in adjacent layers substantially in non-registering relation, afabric sandwiched between adjacent layers of said material, and an outerwear-resistant material adjacent the outermost of said layers.

2. Cold weather clothing, comprising two layers of expanded closed cellcellular material secured together near their marginal edges only, eachof said layers having a plurality of uniformly spaced openingstherethrough, said layers having their surfaces adjacent each.

other and disposed with the openings in the two layers in substantiallynon-registering relation, and a fabric sandwiched between these layers.

3. Cold weather clothing, comprising a plurality of layers of expandedclosed cell cellular material secured together near their marginal edgesonly, each of said layers having a plurality of uniformly spacedopenings therethrough, said layers having their surfaces adjacent eachother and disposed with the openings in adjacent layers in substantiallynon-registering relation, the openings through said layers occupyingfrom l0 to 50% of the surface area of said layers, and a fabricsandwiched between adjacent layers of said material.

4. Clothing in accordance with claim 3 wherein said layers compriseexpanded closed cell cellular plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

5, Cold weather clothing comprising a plurality of layersv of expandedclosed cell cellular plasticized polyvi'nyfli` chloride, each ofsaid-layers having a plurality of uniform-ly `spaced openingstherethrough, said openings occupying from 10 to 50% of the surface areaof each ofE said layers, saidl layers` having their surfaces adjacenteach other and disposed with the openings in adjacent layersinsubstantially non-registering relation, a fabric sandwiched between:adjacent layers of said material, and a wear-resistant fabric adjacentthe. outermost of said layers to protect said outermostlayer.

6. Clothing intaccorda-nce with claim 5 which comprises two layers ofexpanded closed cell cellular plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

7l Coldx weather clothing, comprising a garment formed of two layers ofexpanded closed cell cellular plasticized polyvinyl chloride, each ofsaid layers having a plurality of uniformly spaced openings therethroughhaving a diameter of about one-eighth of an inch, said openingsoccupying about 30%,of the surface area of each of said layers in theareas where said openings occur, said layers having their surfacesadjacent each other and disposed with the openings in the layers insubstantially non-registering relation, a fabric sandwiched between thelayers of said material, and an outer wear-resistant fabric over theouter layer of said material.

8. A cold weather garment having heat insulating properties which varyin proportion to variations in the degree of movement by the wearer,comprising at least two loosely superposed relatively thick layers ofexible liquid-impermeable and gas-impermeable cellular sheet material,each of said layers having a multiplicity ot small apertures extendingtransversely therethrough in spaced relation over at least a largerportion of its area, thin flexible porous sheets of woven fabricarranged between and adjacent to the outer sides of said layers inloosely superposed relation thereto and substantially coextensivetherewith, and means for securing said layers and sheets together neartheir marginal edges only, whereby said layers and sheets may moverelative to each other during activity by the wearer of the garment andpump air through said apertures towards as well as away from the body ofthe wearer, while impeding passage of cold outside air through saidlayers to the body of the wearer when inactive.

9. A cold weather garment having heat insulating properties which varyin proportion to variations in the degree of movement by the wearer,comprising a pair of loosely superposed relatively thick layers ofexible liquid-impermeable and gas-impermeable cellular sheet material,each of said layers having a multiplicity of small apertures extendingtransversely therethrough in sp-aced relation over at least a largerportion of its area, said apertures of said layersV being normallysubstantially out of registration when said layers are larrangedgenerally flat and relatively stationary, an envelope of thin flexibleporous woven fabric sheet material substantially enclosing said layers,and means for securing said layers and envelope together near theirmarginal edges only, whereby said layers may move relative to each otherduring activ-ity by the wearer of the garment and pump air through saidapertures towards as well as away from the body of the wearer, whileimpeding passage of cold outside air through said layers to the body ofthe wearer when inactive.

l0. A cold weather garment having heat insulating properties which varyin proportion to variations in the degree of movement by the wearer,comprisng a pair of loosely superposed relatively thick layers of exibleliquid-impermeable and gas-impermeable cellular sheet material, each ofsaid layers having a multiplicity of small apertures extendingtransversely therethrough in` spaced relation over at least a largerportion o-f its area, said apertures of said layers being normallysubstantially out of registration when said `layers are arrangedgenerally at and relatively stationary', thin flexible porous sheets ofwoven fabric arranged between and adjacent to the outer sides of saidlayers in loosely superposed relation thereto and substantiallycoextensive therewith, and means for securing said layers and sheetstogether near their marginal edges only, whereby said layers and sheetsmay move relative to each other during activity by the wearer of thegarment and pump air through said apertures towards as well as away fromthe body of the wearer, while impeding passage of cold outside airthrough said layers to the body of the wearer when inactive.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,288,865 Freese De.`24, 1918 Rubin et al, July 4, 1933 Goldstein Apr.29,4 1941 Craig et al. 'Dec. 22,- 1942 Bazett et al `Jan. 6, 1948Raymond Apr. 12, 1949 Talalay Nov. 4, 1952 Frieder et a1 Feb. 24, 1953Brown June 23, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 25, 1935 AustriaMay 15, 1950

